To Central or to Persuasive Route?

This week we learned about the Elaboration Likelihood Model or ELM as the intellectuals prefer to use it. ELM states that we process information in two ways (this is a component of something bigger, the persuasion process, but we'll save that for another day), which then change our attitudes. The central and peripheral route. By going the central route, everyone is paying attention, actively engaging; we care about what's going on. It could be a personal reason or something that sparked an interest. The peripheral route is when we are not fully processing the information. 

The receiver is influenced by factors other than the contents of the message (Persuasion: Applying the Elaboration Likelihood Model to Design). Open houses are a great example. Did you know that some people don't even go FOR THE HOUSE?! (insert gasp here) (10 Open House Etiquette Fails You Can Learn From) Sometimes it's a casual weekend activity, a way for a nosey neighbor to look next door, or the open house is the appetizer spot before brunch. Either way, the realtor gets them to the open house. The reason they stay, peripheral. 

I found the ELM model really interesting and see that it's used a lot in social media marketing. Since I AM a grad student, I thought how this model would help me appeal a message to an audience I was trying to reach. When trying to reach audiences, brands tend to get celebrities or influencers to promote because of name recognition. Although this may be the obvious choice, it doesn't mean that people will care about the brand. They care about who is promoting it.

 Let say it's a social media campaign. I need to bring 150 potential consumers to my client's webpage. I need to send a cohesive message across all major social media platforms regarding the campaign and what everyone needs to do to check it out. When brands have a solid message that makes sense, that consumers can see everywhere, they will pay attention. Not only will our message be cohesive, but there will also be reviews from loyal customers, followers, or other users on each platform that will be able to read and go through them. I would also ensure that any questions asked would be answered by an actual person, not an automated service that would turn most people off. The messaging when using the central route has to be factual. 

Audiences, when using this route, pay attention to information. They care about the product or service, so they make sure to know as much as possible. But also make sure to ask as many questions and get a good understanding, in case they share with others. Another thing to pay attention to is the design of the site and social pages (How to apply the elaboration likelihood model to your next design). Is the website functional? If it's e-commerce, how is the checkout feature? Reliable? Is it easy to use or find? Are their review options on the website as well? These would be the questions I would have to ask the web development before launch. 

Now, this isn't to say there can't be persuasive routes within the central. Using elements of persuasion like coupons, free shipping, a giveaway of some kind or raffle, or rewarding loyal customers for bringing in new customers are all great ways to use persuasion. I wouldn't want to overcloud the brand message, goals, and objectives with shiny the pretty objects in the audience's face. Quickly it can turn from a central route with persuasive add-ins to the persuasive route. Then online traffic would possibly be for incentives only. Sometimes even giving consumers presents after purchase doesn't guarantee a repeat consumer. We'd never know how sad.  

Luckily I still have more schooling to do and time before I have to test this model out for compensation, so it's always good to fiddle around with ideas of "what if?" I've provided a few examples at the bottom of central and persuasive routes I found in an article. OF COURSE, IT HAS TO BE AMAZON. IT'S ALWAYS AMAZON!

Central Route

Suzanne searches for high-end TVs, filters them from high to low ratings, and reads the reviews. After making her decision, she uses the “Buy now with 1-Click” option, since all of her information is already up to date in Amazon’s system; Amazon’s reliability and service over the years has earned her trust. 

Suzanne was not a hard sell for Amazon; this is due in part to years of persuasive factors that have shaped her buying habits. If central route processing has occurred in a positive direction, Suzanne is also likely to purchase from Amazon again in the future, while Amazon’s competitors will have a harder time persuading her to purchase from them.

Persuasive Route

Let’s say that Kevin, our less motivated potential customer, is curious to see how much TV he can get for his money. After searching for televisions in the impossible-to-miss search bar on the homepage, he immediately sorts the results by price from low to high. Next, using the filters offered on the left of the screen, he selects to view only TVs with four stars or more. (Why spend time reading a review when you can see four shiny stars at a glance?)

Kevin notices the percentage saved and the low-price guarantee that comes with his purchase. Additionally, free shipping is offered in bold type directly next to the price. Appealing to a user’s pocketbook is an excellent form of peripheral route persuasion. This penny-pincher won’t even have to pay for the convenience of having the product shipped to his front door. 

Utilizing visual hierarchy at its finest, the second most eye-catching element of this page is the blatantly obvious “Add to Cart” button. You can guess how the scenario unfolds from here.

Both examples courtesy of : AlistApart.com